Tag:

Extortion

Sex Workers Robbed, Sexually Assaulted By Trio At Gunpoint In Jersey City: Prosecutor Sex Workers Robbed, Sexually Assaulted By Trio At Gunpoint In Jersey City: Prosecutor
Sex Workers Robbed, Sexually Assaulted By Trio At Gunpoint In Jersey City: Prosecutor Three men were arrested and charged on Friday, Sept. 20 with robbing and sexually assaulting two sex workers in Jersey City on Wednesday, Sept. 11, authorities said. The two women agreed to meet three men, Mohamed Mohamed, 24, Abdalla Abdelsalam Elsayed, 20, and Mahmoud Hegazi, 18, all Jersey City residents, at an apartment on Bergen Avenue in exchange for sex for money, according to a criminal complaint. After having sex with the men, one of the men pulled out a handgun, held it to one of the women and demanded money. The gun was held as she spoke on a phone call, forcing her to …
Essex County Correctional Officer Took Bribes To Smuggle Contraband To Inmates: Feds Essex County Correctional Officer Took Bribes To Smuggle Contraband To Inmates: Feds
Essex County Correctional Officer Took Bribes To Smuggle Contraband To Inmates: Feds A 36-year-old Jersey City resident and former Essex County correctional officer admitted on Wednesday, July 17, to accepting $14,000 in bribes to smuggle in tobacco and a cell phone to inmates, authorities said. In January 2023, Efrin Wade, who worked at the jail for three years, began communicating with an individual whom he believed was seeking to smuggle in contraband to sell to other inmates, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said. The individual was actually an undercover FBI agent, Sellinger said. Wade agreed to smuggle in tobacco and cell phones, prohibited for inmates at the facil…
$200G Shakedown Of Jersey Shore Dad Gets NYC Man 7 Years In Federal Prison $200G Shakedown Of Jersey Shore Dad Gets NYC Man 7 Years In Federal Prison
$200G Shakedown Of Jersey Shore Dad Gets NYC Man 7 Years In Federal Prison 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A Brooklyn man who tried strong-arming a Jersey Shore resident into giving him and two accomplices $200,000 was sentenced Thursday to seven years in federal prison. Endrit Kllogjeri, 30, had been convicted of multiple extortion-related counts by U.S. District Court jurors in Trenton last June. A month earlier, co-defendant Francis Garzon pleaded guilty to extortion and conspiracy in connection with the 2019 scheme. Kllogjeri, Garzon and an unidentified co-conspirator tried to shake down the Monmouth County victim and his son, who lived in Brooklyn, with a ruse that they'd been wron…
GUILTY: ‘Bling Bishop’ From Bergen Convicted Of Swindling NJ Parishioner's Mom, More GUILTY: ‘Bling Bishop’ From Bergen Convicted Of Swindling NJ Parishioner's Mom, More
Guilty: ‘Bling Bishop’ From Bergen Convicted Of Swindling NJ Parishioner's Mom, More 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A flashy Brooklyn bishop who lives in Bergen County – and was infamously robbed at gunpoint during a live-streamed church service – was convicted in lower Manhattan of swindling the elderly mom of a parishioner out of her life savings, among other counts. Lamor Whitehead, 45, promised to put the $90,000 toward buying her a home, federal prosecutors told jurors in the Southern U.S. District of New York who found him guilty of all charges after only three hours of deliberations on Monday, March 11. Instead, the infamous "Bling Bishop" blew the money on BMW payments and luxury purchase…
Feds: NY Man Who Shook Down Jersey Shore Dad For $200G Gets 10 Years, No Parole Feds: NY Man Who Shook Down Jersey Shore Dad For $200G Gets 10 Years, No Parole
Feds: NY Man Who Shook Down Jersey Shore Dad For $200G Gets 10 Years, No Parole UPDATE: A man who admitted trying to strong-arm a Jersey Shore resident into giving him and his accomplices $200,000 must spend the next decade in federal prison. Francis A. Garzon, 35, of Brooklyn, must serve the entire plea-bargained 121-month sentence because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Garzon and Endrit Kllogjeri, 28, were undone by an undercover detective posing as the Monmouth County victim. Garzon took a deal from the government, pleading guilty last July to conspiracy and extortion rather than risk the potential consequences of a trial conviction. Kllogjeri, me…
Ex-Jersey Shore Man Gets 20 Years, No Parole For Serial Threats Against Police, Judges, Others Ex-Jersey Shore Man Gets 20 Years, No Parole For Serial Threats Against Police, Judges, Others
Ex-Jersey Shore Man Gets 20 Years, No Parole For Serial Threats Against Police, Judges, Others A former New Jersey resident with a cockamamie political history must spend the next 20 years in federal prison for threatening to kill police officers, lawyers and judges, among others, in and around Monmouth County. Eric G. Hafner, 32, formerly of Fair Haven, also made calls and sent messages to state officials while phoning in bogus bomb threats to local and state government offices, a police department, two law firms and the Monmouth Park Racetrack during a two-year terror campaign, federal authorities in Trenton said. Hafner told newspaper reporters in 2018 that he was on the lam for d…
2 Broken Thumbs Down: Gambino Family Hothead Nearly Torches Jersey Shore Restaurant, Feds Say 2 Broken Thumbs Down: Gambino Family Hothead Nearly Torches Jersey Shore Restaurant, Feds Say
2 Broken Thumbs Down: Gambino Family Hothead Nearly Torches Jersey Shore Restaurant, Feds Say Life imitated art when a reputed Gambino crime family captain threatened to burn down a Jersey Shore restaurant, then went to a service station across the street and tried to buy and fill a plastic gas can, federal authorities said. In what could’ve been a scene from any number of modern-day mob movies, Joseph Lanni of Staten Island became a walking cliché, the Justice Department said in announcing an organized-crime takedown that stretched all the way to Sicily. Lanni and fellow Staten Islander Vincent “Vinny Slick” Minsquero “became belligerent” after being asked to leave Roxy’s Bar and G…
SEXTORTION: AMC CEO, Philly Native Adam Aron Says He Was Blackmailed SEXTORTION: AMC CEO, Philly Native Adam Aron Says He Was Blackmailed
Sextortion: AMC CEO, Philly Native Adam Aron Says He Was Blackmailed Philadelphia native and AMC CEO Adam Aron says he was the victim of an "elaborate criminal extortion" scheme last year, he announced Thursday morning, Oct. 12, in a social media post.  Aron made the revelation after Semafor reported that the CEO had sent "sexually explicit images and messages" to a woman who later tried to hold them as blackmail.  The woman, Sakoya Blackwood of Bronx, New York, was charged with extortion and cyberstalking and later sentenced to one year time served, according to the outlet.  View this post on Instagram A pos…
Federal Jury Convicts NYC Man In $200,000 Shakedown Of Jersey Shore Dad Federal Jury Convicts NYC Man In $200,000 Shakedown Of Jersey Shore Dad
Federal Jury Convicts NYC Man In $200,000 Shakedown Of Jersey Shore Dad Federal jurors in Trenton convicted a Brooklyn man for his role in a plot to strong-arm a Jersey Shore resident into giving him and his accomplices $200,000, authorities said. Endrit Kllogjeri, 27, and his cohorts were tripped up by an undercover detective posing as the Monmouth County victim, federal authorities said. Francis Garzon, 31, took a deal from the government rather than risk the consequences of guaranteed prison time if he was convicted at a trial, pleading guilty last month to his role in the plot. Kllogjeri rolled the dice and lost, however. He, Garzon and an unidentified co…
NEW CHARGES: Out-Of-State Woman Held Captive For Year By NJ Man Was Raped, Grand Jury Finds NEW CHARGES: Out-Of-State Woman Held Captive For Year By NJ Man Was Raped, Grand Jury Finds
NEW Charges: Out-Of-State Woman Held Captive For Year By NJ Man Was Raped, Grand Jury Finds UPDATE: A South Jersey man repeatedly raped a woman he'd kidnapped and held hostage during a nearly year-long cross-country trip, state authorities said an ongoing investigation has found. James W. Parrillo Jr., 57, was captured and has remained jailed ever since the woman escaped from a residence in Bass Township and fled to safety at a nearby gas station three months ago, ending a terrifying year in captivity. Parillo originally was charged with first-degree kidnapping, criminal restraint, aggravated assault and strangulation, as well as hindering apprehension, obstruction and refusing to…
'PlugwalkJoe' Admits Unprecedented Twitter Hack That Included Musk, Kardashian, Biden: Feds 'PlugwalkJoe' Admits Unprecedented Twitter Hack That Included Musk, Kardashian, Biden: Feds
'PlugwalkJoe' Admits Unprecedented Twitter Hack That Included Musk, Kardashian, Biden: Feds A 23-year-old British citizen who hacked the Twitter accounts of Joe Biden, Elon Musk, Kim Kardashian and Bill Gates, among others, pleaded guilty in federal court to a host of related charges as part of a deal with the government. Joseph James O'Connor -- also known as "PlugwalkJoe" -- technically faces up to 77 years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines but will likely get somewhere between 10 to 20 years when all is said and done. The Liverpudlian hacker admitted during a plea hearing in federal court in Manhattan on Tuesday, May 9, that he committed one of the largest high-pro…
'Bling Bishop' From Bergen Accused Of Faking Docs To Finance Paramus Mansion: 'FBI Set Me Up' 'Bling Bishop' From Bergen Accused Of Faking Docs To Finance Paramus Mansion: 'FBI Set Me Up'
'Bling Bishop' From Bergen Accused Of Faking Docs To Finance Paramus Mansion: 'FBI Set Me Up' A flashy Brooklyn bishop who lives in Bergen County – and was infamously robbed at gunpoint during a live-streamed church service last year – claims the FBI set him. Lamor Whitehead was already facing charges of swindling a female parishioner out of $90,000 in retirement money when a new indictment this week accused him of fabricating bank records to try and finance his million-dollar mansion in Paramus. Whitehead made it appear on paper that he controlled an LLC that had an average balance of more than $2 million when it actually had less than 10 bucks, the indictment returned in the Sout…
‘Bling’ Bishop From Bergen Seized By FBI, Charged With Swindling Retiree Out Of $90,000 ‘Bling’ Bishop From Bergen Seized By FBI, Charged With Swindling Retiree Out Of $90,000
‘Bling’ Bishop From Bergen Seized By FBI, Charged With Swindling Retiree Out Of $90,000 A flashy Brooklyn bishop who lives in Bergen County – and was infamously robbed at gunpoint during a live-streamed church service earlier this year – swindled one of his parishioners out of $90,000 in retirement money that he used for himself, federal authorities charged. Lamor Whitehead, a 44-year-old Paramus resident known for his Rolls Royce, Gucci suits and bling, was arrested by federal agents on Monday, Dec. 19, on an indictment that charges him wire fraud, extortion and lying to the FBI. The indictment returned by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in Manhattan accuses Whitehead of …
Fugitive Dubbed 'Real-Life Tony Soprano' Couldn't Hide From The Law, Even In Death Fugitive Dubbed 'Real-Life Tony Soprano' Couldn't Hide From The Law, Even In Death
Fugitive Dubbed 'Real-Life Tony Soprano' Couldn't Hide From The Law, Even In Death He was considered one of the last of the old-time mobsters, a "real-life Tony Soprano" listed as one of New Jersey's most wanted fugitives. Even six feet under, though, Tony Mota couldn't evade his pursuers. After eluding capture for nearly 25 years for a gruesome murder committed in Hudson County, Anthony Mota was found buried in the country where he was born, the Dominican Republic. Mota had been collecting debts for high-level Colombian drug dealers in New York City when he and a group of accomplices abducted a Queens man on Dec. 13, 1997, authorities said. The victim, 38-year-old …
One Of NJ's 'Most Wanted' Fugitives In Torture Execution Found Dead In Dominican Republic One Of NJ's 'Most Wanted' Fugitives In Torture Execution Found Dead In Dominican Republic
One Of NJ's 'Most Wanted' Fugitives In Torture Execution Found Dead In Dominican Republic One of New Jersey's most wanted fugitives in a kidnapping and execution of a Queens, NY man was found dead in the Dominican Republic, authorities announced. Anthony Mota kidnapped the victim on Dec. 12, 1997, then bound and tortured him with others for days until they got a ransom amount of $23,000 from the victim's family, United States Marshal for the District of New Jersey Juan Mattos, Jr., and NJSP Superintendent Col. Patrick J. Callahan said. Soon after, Mota took the victim to an area along Interstate 280 in Harrison, and shot him in the head and neck, ki…
College Sex Cult Leader Larry Ray Of NJ Found Guilty On All Charges College Sex Cult Leader Larry Ray Of NJ Found Guilty On All Charges
College Sex Cult Leader Larry Ray Of NJ Found Guilty On All Charges The New Jersey man who ran a sex cult out of his daughter's dorm room will face life in prison after being found guilty by a jury of sexually exploiting and trafficking girls. Larry Ray, 62 — who was arrested at his home in Piscataway — was found guilty of 15 counts that include racketeering, sex trafficking, conspiracy, forced labor, extortion, tax evasion, and other crimes in relation to his scheme following multiple delays in his trial and prosecution. The jury deliberated for less than four hours before returning the guilty verdict. “Twelve years ago, Larry Ray moved into his…
MS-13 Members Convicted Of Murder Of Innocent West New York Man, 19, Other Gang-Related Crimes MS-13 Members Convicted Of Murder Of Innocent West New York Man, 19, Other Gang-Related Crimes
MS-13 Members Convicted Of Murder Of Innocent West New York Man, 19, Other Gang-Related Crimes Three ranking MS-13 members from El Salvador were convicted by federal jurors in Newark of the murder of an innocent 19-year-old dishwasher from West New York, among other charges stemming from their participation in the international gang. It was one of many offenses that jurors agreed were committed by Juan Pablo “Humilde” Escalante-Melgar, 31, Elmer “Locote” Cruz-Diaz, 33, and Oscar “Snappy” Sanchez-Aguilar, 25 – among them, extortion, witness tampering, and drug trafficking. Federal prosecutors told the jurors that Escalante-Melgar and Sanchez-Aguilar instructed an MS-13 member and an …
NJ Prosecutor: Did Cyber-Predator Ask Your Pre-Teen For Nude Pics, Sex Talk? NJ Prosecutor: Did Cyber-Predator Ask Your Pre-Teen For Nude Pics, Sex Talk?
NJ Prosecutor: Did Cyber-Predator Ask Your Pre-Teen For Nude Pics, Sex Talk? Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella asked parents to check whether their children were contacted by an out-of-state man who created various identities to have sex chats with a local pre-teen whom he tried to extort into sending him pornographic images. Cyber Crimes Unit detectives found that “several different online personalities engaged the same child victim in separate conversations, some of which contained sexually explicit content and dialogue,” Musella said. All of the social media accounts used to contact the Bergen County child were controlled by Jason J. Campbell, a 31-year-old s…
Prosecutor: Florida Cyber-Predator Preyed On Bergen Pre-Teen, Possibly Others Prosecutor: Florida Cyber-Predator Preyed On Bergen Pre-Teen, Possibly Others
Prosecutor: Florida Cyber-Predator Preyed On Bergen Pre-Teen, Possibly Others Detectives from Bergen County seized a security guard in Florida who they said created various identities to have sex chats with a local pre-teen whom he tried to extort into sending him pornographic images. Cyber Crimes Unit detectives found that “several different online personalities engaged the same child victim in separate conversations, some of which contained sexually explicit content and dialogue,” Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said Friday. All of the social media accounts used to contact the Bergen County child were controlled by Jason J. Campbell, 31, of Orlando, the pr…
FBI: Four From NJ, NY, PA Charged With Kidnapping Man, Demanding $100,000 Ransom FBI: Four From NJ, NY, PA Charged With Kidnapping Man, Demanding $100,000 Ransom
FBI: Four From NJ, NY, PA Charged With Kidnapping Man, Demanding $100,000 Ransom A group of men from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York kidnapped a man on a Camden street, beat him and held him captive while trying to extort a $100,000 ransom from his family, federal authorities charged. The victim was grabbed from behind last Thursday night by his abductors, who “covered his head, bound him with plastic restraints, assaulted him and put him into a vehicle,” Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. They then drove him to a city residence where they “continued to beat him with a hard object the victim could not see,” she said. “After several hours, the kidnappers …
Jersey Shore Man Forced Girl, 14, To Carve His Initials Above Her Breast, Indictment Charges Jersey Shore Man Forced Girl, 14, To Carve His Initials Above Her Breast, Indictment Charges
Jersey Shore Man Forced Girl, 14, To Carve His Initials Above Her Breast, Indictment Charges A Jersey Shore man who convinced a 14-year-old girl he met online to carve his initials above her breast with a razor blade threatened to hurt her and her family if she didn’t meet his demands, an indictment returned Wednesday by a state grand jury alleges. Jason Berry, 40, of Keansburg also “demanded that the girl photograph herself engaging in acts of sexual penetration,” then sent some of the images to her mother, the indictment returned in Trenton charges. He also sent the girl “sexually explicit photos and videos of himself,” it adds. The case “demonstrates how powerful online predato…
Feds: New Mob Regime Ran Sports Bets, Extorted Victims, Sold Drugs From Philly To Jersey Shore Feds: New Mob Regime Ran Sports Bets, Extorted Victims, Sold Drugs From Philly To Jersey Shore
Feds: New Mob Regime Ran Sports Bets, Extorted Victims, Sold Drugs From Philly To Jersey Shore The mob didn't disappear from Philadelphia and the Jersey Shore after former leaders Joseph Ligambi and Joseph “Skinny Joey” Merlino were sent to prison, federal authorities revealed Monday. Over the past five years, in fact, new leadership of the Philly and Atlantic City La Cosa Nostra beefed up the ranks, commanding illegal sports gambling, extorting victims through loansharking, selling cocaine, heroin and opioids -- even conspiring to kidnap a drug dealer who sold them bad dope, they said. Fifteen reputed mobsters and associates of the organized crime family were charged in a …
LI Moving Company Owner, North Jersey Employee Admit $540,000 Low-Ball Extortion Scheme LI Moving Company Owner, North Jersey Employee Admit $540,000 Low-Ball Extortion Scheme
LI Moving Company Owner, North Jersey Employee Admit $540,000 Low-Ball Extortion Scheme A Nassau County moving company owner and a Passaic County woman who worked for him admitted in federal court that they extorted customers out of nearly $550,000 with the old “low-ball” scam. Lior Atiyas, 42, of Hewlett, Long Island began regularly low-balling estimates to move household goods, then jacking up the price by two to three times once the items were on the trucks, in early 2016, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said Friday. He then refused to deliver the goods until the customers paid up, Carpenito said. Atiyas recruited Lola Larios, 37, of Haledon into the scheme when she joined t…
Feds: Essex OSHA Inspector, Brother Caught On Wire Shaking Down Hudson Job Site Contractor Feds: Essex OSHA Inspector, Brother Caught On Wire Shaking Down Hudson Job Site Contractor
Feds: Essex Osha Inspector, Brother Caught On Wire Shaking Down Hudson Job Site Contractor An OSHA officer from Bloomfield and his brother conspired to extort a general contractor at a North Bergen work site, said federal authorities who tapped one of their meetings. Assigned to investigate the alleged misuse of an extension ladder, Alvaro Idrovo, 44, told the contractor he was violating OSHA regulations for not having the necessary safety training certificates for his workers to be on ladders, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. Idrovo told the owner he’d be “subject to exorbitant fines and possible arrest” if he didn’t obtain the certificates, which he said were available throu…
Former Passaic Mayor Samuel 'Sammy' Rivera Dies Former Passaic Mayor Samuel 'Sammy' Rivera Dies
Former Passaic Mayor Samuel 'Sammy' Rivera Dies Former Passaic Mayor Samuel Rivera has died in a nursing home in Pennsylvania, current Mayor Hector Carlos Lora confirmed Friday. He was 73. A cause of death wasn't immediately disclosed. "As a city we extend our condolences to the Rivera family on the passing of former Passaic Mayor Samuel Rivera," Lora wrote. "I still speak to people today who share stories of how he helped them personally and how much he cared about people.  "Many in our community can remember his approach to cleaning up the streets of violent crimes and how visible he was in Passaic," the mayor said. Born in Caye…
Piscataway Dad Accused Of Masterminding Sex Cult In College Dorm Piscataway Dad Accused Of Masterminding Sex Cult In College Dorm
Piscataway Dad Accused Of Masterminding Sex Cult In College Dorm A Piscataway man who moved into his daughter’s dorm has been charged with sex trafficking and extortion The 60-year-old is accused of subjecting his daughter's classmates at Sarah Lawrence College “to sexual and psychological manipulation and physical abuse,” according to an indictment unsealed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York.  Lawrence Ray, also known as Lawrence Grecco, was charged with extortion, sex trafficking, forced labor, conspiracy and trafficking, two counts of use of interstate commerce to promote unlawful activity and money laundering…
Bergen College Student Charged With Child Porn Blackmail Following Raid Bergen College Student Charged With Child Porn Blackmail Following Raid
Bergen College Student Charged With Child Porn Blackmail Following Raid A 23-year-old Dean's List student tried to blackmail a victim using child pornography, said New Jersey State Police who arrested him during an early-morning raid at his Closter home. Pritkumar Patel, who recently attended Berkeley College, remained held Thursday in the Bergen County Jail pending a detention hearing. He's charged with: Cyber harassment by sending or posting obscene material with the intent to harm or cause fear; Criminal coercion through the threat of exposure or ridicule (blackmail); Extortion; Child endangerment by storing and/or maintaining child pornography; Sexual con…
Hudson County Health Official Admits Taking Bribes Hudson County Health Official Admits Taking Bribes
Hudson County Health Official Admits Taking Bribes An official with the Hudson County Office of Aging Tuesday pleaded guilty to extortion in a scheme to funnel work to a firm that provides home health aides for the elderly and disabled, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.  Myrtha Nicholas, a 61-year-old Jersey City resident, entered into an arrangement with a home health care company in June 2016 in which an executive with the company would pay Nicholas $500 for each client referred to the company. The executive was identified as a confidential witness for the government.  A few months later, on Aug. 4,. 2016, she received a $600 pay…
Former Hudson County Official Accused Of Taking Bribes Former Hudson County Official Accused Of Taking Bribes
Former Hudson County Official Accused Of Taking Bribes A Jersey City woman who worked for Hudson County’s Office on Aging took bribes to funnel patients in need of health aides to a businessperson who turned out to be a witness for the government, the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey said. Myrtha Nicolas, 61, was charged last week with extortion under color of official right. She was released on a $100,000 bond. Nicolas served as a referral coordinator who connected disabled patients with companies that provide health aides as part of an effort by the state to help patients live independently.  In June 2016, a self-employed executive of a ho…
Waldwick Contractor Admits Paying Tens Of Thousands In Kickbacks For No-Show Paterson MUA Jobs Waldwick Contractor Admits Paying Tens Of Thousands In Kickbacks For No-Show Paterson MUA Jobs
Waldwick Contractor Admits Paying Tens Of Thousands In Kickbacks For No-Show Paterson MUA Jobs A Paterson-based contractor from Waldwick admitted in federal court Wednesday that he paid kickbacks in exchange for work – much of it for work that was never done -- from the now-defunct Paterson Municipal Utilities Authority. Anthony Cacciola, 47, told a U.S. District Court judge in Newark that he conspired with then-MUA commissioner Erik Lowe to jack up the cost of contracts for fence installation and repair. He said he then kicked back the padded thousands to Lowe, who, exercising control over the MUA’s infancies, steered more contracts his way. Near the end of the scheme, U.S. Attorne…
Man Admits Extorting Professional Morris County Athlete With Naked Photos, Report Says Man Admits Extorting Professional Morris County Athlete With Naked Photos, Report Says
Man Admits Extorting Professional Morris County Athlete With Naked Photos, Report Says A man pleaded guilty to extorting a Morris County-based professional athlete with naked and sexually explicit photos, the DailyRecord reports. Patrick M. Avognon Jr. was represented by a public defender and tested positive for marijuana at federal court in Newark Monday, when he admitted to demanding $5,600 from the athlete and threatening to post nude photos of him to a website if he failed to do so, the article says. The victim, who was not identified, was forced to hire a lawyer and a private investigator, who turned evidence of the extortion over to law enforcement, DailyRecord say…